The two-day dialogue session between government and Parliament on land matters in Cameroon is for both parties to evaluate land attribution system and reflect on the management of land tenure in the country.
Members of Parliament are fully involved in the business of the session, devoted to the adoption of the State budget. The committees on National Defence and security and Foreign affairs have scrutinized bills No 2027/PJL/AN and No 2028/PJL/AN respectively. The former relating to the suppression of piracy, terrorism and offences against the safety of maritime navigation and platforms and the latter on the settlement bill of 2021 financial year. The 2021 Finance Law was implemented in a context marked mainly by global, sub-regional and national economic recovery, following the economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Regarding Cameroon specifically, economic growth stood at 3.4 percent in 2021 as against an almost zero growth rate of 0.5 percent in 2020.
With regard to the bill relating to the suppression of piracy, worthy of note is the fact that the rise in maritime crime as well as the escalation of offences against the safety of maritime navigation led the international community to adopt the convention on the Law of the Sea in Montego, Jamaica in 1982. The Convention was ratified by Cameroon in 1985 and the adoption of the bill would enable Cameroon to fulfill its commitments under the international instruments to which it is a party. As for Bill No 2028/PJL/AN, also deposited for examination, it seeks to authorize the president of the republic to ratify the general cooperation agreement between Cameroon and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Rt. Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Speaker of the National Assembly, presided over the opening of the ordinary session last 11 November 2022 at the Yaounde Conference Centre.
In his opening remarks, Hon. Cavaye recalled the difficult context Cameroon is experiencing with the various crisis going on in the Northwest, Southwest as well as in the Far North Regions. He mentioned the current health concerns like the Monkey Pox and Cholera and praised government for providing adequate responses. Regarding the creation of a parliamentary museum, Hon. Cavaye said “teams have been sent on mission to tap from the experiences of other parliaments.” He also announced the caravan of the Esperance Jeune parliamentary network that will be going to Buea, seat of the Silicon Mountain in line with its activities on digital economy.
Claudette CHIN
